Trying Again
by Midnighthome
Summary: Chloe and Rachel are so done with everyone in Arcadia Bay, scheming their way through town to leave before things get really bad, will they make it?


Things the night before had been crazy, there was no way to skip out of town now; with that fucking bombshell, according to Rachel her whole life has been a lie… it well sucked. Rachel and the Ambers' had their own mess to figure out and Chloe had to figure out what she was going to do with her special problem with David and Joyce.

Chloe didn't know what to do but she still felt guilty over what had happened with Damon, Drew and especially with Mikey in the hospital; yeah the boys were mad at her but she did what she did for their own good, Chloe knew assholes like Damon and the underdog never ever won, especially not if it has to do with a power struggle and even more so if money was involved. Chloe set off to seek Steph at the hospital, where she and Drew had been waiting for the Orthopedic surgeon to come update them on Mikey's arm, he did take a fall for their dad but it was better Mikey than Drew, if Drew got injured he wouldn't be able to play ball or be given the scholarship to get out of Arcadia Bay and actual have an opportunity to help his dad and Mikey.

Chloe met up with them in the hallway just outside of Mikey's outpatient room. Drew still looked at Chloe with distaste but he knows and did appreciate that she was there for Mikey. Drew needed to know that even when he went off to college, that Mikey still had people who cared about him, knew about all his defects so they'd know how to help him if things did get bad again.

"Hey Steph, Drew." She nodded as she sat down on the other side of Steph, it felt a little surreal that all the events of today were just that, a cluster fuck of endless drama.

Steph looked at the glitter still stuck to the taller girl's skin and merely smiled "Man I wished I could have seen you as full Aerial- spirit or not."

"Oh shut up you didn't miss much, just the crowd swooning at every word that escaped my lips." Chloe gestured into the air grinning "Who knows why theatre kids are overly dramatic."

Steph said she was going to go have a change of clothes and a few hours of sleep before morning. Leaving Drew and Chloe alone to their own vices.

A couple of minutes have passed and Chloe knew she had to say something to Drew, had to clear the air somehow. Chloe had learned so much while she was in their room, she had no clue Drew had such a shitty home life, the reason he was picking fights and all this unspent anger was targeted at the right family. By no means does it make it right, bullying the son of the man who cost the job of their father doesn't seem reasonable but Chloe did understand the motive behind it all.

Chloe clasps her hands together and turned her body to face Drew "Listen Drew, I want to say I'm sorry about before with Nathan and I'm sorry for the money and Damon. I didn't want to see anyone get hurt. That money wasn't worth it man, guys like Damon aren't worth shit."

Drew looked straight ahead, his eyebrows furrowed he had a hard time listening to her at first, dug his fingers into the arm rest hoping to concentrate on something else. ".." Drew was silent still but her words seemed sincere, not like someone only trying to save their own skin, or try to trick him into believing that believing that she knew what was best for him, him and Mikey. "I know he isn't."

"I know I shouldn't been in your room but the fact that I was gives me an inside at what you're both dealing with. Drew I don't know how I can help but trust me when I say I will be there for Mikey, for whatever reason he needs me just let me know."

"You shouldn't say things you don't mean, anyways it doesn't matter because I'm here for him. No one else is going to take that load. Not even our dad." Drew said a little bitterly.

"You know just because your family isn't here to help doesn't mean that there aren't others that care. Look at Steph she is basically family and you wouldn't push her away. I can look out for them, the just in case. When you leave for college or whatever. "

Drew was about to say something but Dr. Torres came out of nowhere interrupting them "Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know that Mikey is out of surgery, everything went smoothly but he's now resting. You're welcome to stay in his room." The doctor came up to Drew and gave him a hug before taking off.

"Come on then, I'm sure he'll be glad to see familiar faces when he wakes up."

The Next Morning

Steph, Chloe and Drew are all crammed in the small room. Steph and Chloe sharing a cot and Drew took the lazy boy; that sat at the corner of the room by the tv. None of them were supposed to be there so early, let alone have spent the night but Dr. Torres was willing to bend the rules for them, the North brothers have a close relationship with Dr. Torres since she provides treatment for Mikey when things get bad, it doesn't get logged because they have no medical insurance and even this surgery was pro bono. There was no way that Drew could ever repay for all generosity that she's given and for that he will be forever grateful.

Steph and Chloe wake first, they are groggy and definitely sore from having to share half of the cot with each other. Chloe wiped the sleep from her and checked the clock mounted on the wall, it read a little past seven in the morning. Steph was the one who had gone with no sleep, she been up most of the night with Brooke trying to come up with an alarm for if Damon decided to return, to ask for interest on the thousand dollars that was owed to him, or if he wanted Drew to still sell. They wouldn't be trapped like they had been before. They were hopeful that it would help Drew and Mikey.

Steph had talked to Rachel before going back to the dorms, she wondered if she and Chloe had some sort of falling out but she explained that she had to work things out with her parents, but that Chloe wasn't answering her so that if she could look after her that she'd owe her a big favor. Steph thought about on it, why would Chloe need help; she was Chloe and was doing her own thing but she knew that no matter what it was Steph would give her comfort as best she could.

"Hey Chloe, how about you and I get out of here once Mikey wakes up. Drew is going to take him back to the dorms anyway, sound cool?"

Chloe looked at her confused "Sure, I mean if you want to." Chloe started to pick up her surroundings, with all the noise they were making it woke up Mikey first and then Drew. Mikey was feeling fine just a groggy from the anesthesia.

Mikey and Drew snuck out in case any of the other doctors assigned to Mikey's case had the urge to ask for their parents. Chloe and Steph left the opposite direction as to not draw suspicion, about a mile or so away they decided to call it quits and opted to catch a bus back to Blackwell.

~ Back at Blackwell Dorms

"Listen I know things are weird right now with Mikey and Drew but I just want you to know that whatever problems you have outside of them... you're welcome to stay here in my dorms. To be able to see Rachel or just to get away until your mom cools down or something." Steph said placing her stuff by her desk right next to all her D&D things.

"You talked to Rachel didn't you…" Chloe slumped down on the bean bag Steph had in the corner by her windowsill.

"We talked and she said you weren't picking up her calls and so here I am the next best thing to her." Steph joked. "You can stay here; we can talk about you and that secret declaration of love everyone saw last night. Give up the details." Steph again once more joked, she grabbed two sodas from her mini fridge and sat down next to Chloe.

Chloe grabbed the soda from Steph's hand, she wasn't sure what Rachel would have told her, but then again Rachel did mention that Steph talked to her before the play, and mentioned that awkward conversation of them being a thing and she didn't know what to say because things were hazy.

"Oh you know, I just promised to be Ariel for the rest of my life and elope with Rachel, no big deal." Chloe half smiled as she opened her soda

"Well in that case you better let me be maid of honor, we can celebrate D&D style. You know like if you need some bride's men, Mikey would be thrilled." She joked, a buzzing came from her bag and she went to go pick it up. Steph goes to answer a call from Drew, her expression turns rather serious, she told him he would be down to check things out in a sec.

"I want to see if my project worked, Drew says that Brooke is there and she's having trouble with the signal so I'll be back later. But you should talk to Rachel, she seemed upset about her parent's thing, she didn't really go into full details with me but ... just check on her okay?" Steph packed her tools and headed out the door and into the boys' dorm.

Bzz

Rachel: Can you talk?

Chloe: Yeah things have calmed down.

Need anything?

Rachel: Yeah can you meet me in the junk yard in an hour.

We need to discuss our plan! Don't be late

Chloe: OMW

~ At the junkyard

Chloe had arrived first, kind of strange since she was the furthest one away, then again who knew where Rachel had gone to that morning or if she even spent the night at her house. Chloe went to the little shed by the entrance, she snagged some batteries from Steph's dorm and she replaced the old ones from that little stereo where she had heard Skip's hand play; what were they called again? Yes, that's right Pisshead.

Rachel had actually been waiting in their getaway car but then ventured off to explore and that's when she stumbled upon Chloe "Hey, Stranger danger. We should really get a door, who knows what might be lurking in these parts of the junkyard." This time Rachel didn't bring a duffle just a small bag, things that they would need to start fixing up Chloe's most recent DIY project- her truck.

"Yeah I mean I would take another project to make this my permanent home but aren't we leaving like yesterday or is that not a thing anymore." Chloe stood against one of the walls, her shoulder blades parallel to the wall she pushed off the wall to sit on a crate.

"No. I mean yeah. The plan hasn't changed, better yet this gives me a better excuse to leave and leave my deceitful parent behind, they can't even come up with a solid truth to why they would lie to me for 16 years. I honestly don't care what they're lame excuses are. They blew all their chances. I'm just done Chloe." Rachel looked anything but done, she looked upset and rightfully so, maybe she just needed a fresh start away from all of what this town had to offer. Rachel could honestly not recall things escalating to this level of degree back in Long Beach.

"Rachel I'm sorry you had to find out about your mom like that, it was a shitty way for your dad to deal with things. I just want to clear the air with the north brothers before we leave. Frank owes me, I can ask if he wants to help me and we can maybe be out of here two weeks-tops." Chloe got up and dusted her pants, walking over to Rachel to free up her hands.

"Yeah I know. I can survive two weeks of whatever this is." Rachel waved her hands in the air before going to look back at to look at the truck through the door.

"I've brought you some money to get started, remember how I told you about my birthday money? Well turns out my parents have a saving for my college fund, if I can get to that, we can fix up our wheels to get the hell out of here."

Chloe opened her mouth to say something but Rachel pocketed the money into her front. she smiled rather sinister but Chloe rather enjoyed it.

"Alright then Miss Amber our carriage awaits." Chloe bowed and reached for Rachel's outstretched hand with a kiss.


End file.
